‘George Weah rang me up recommending Ali Dia to West Ham – I thought it was a wind-up’: Harry Redknapp recalls phone call with Ballon d’Or winner

Ali Dia’s move to Southampton remains possibly the most infamous in Premier League history – Harry Redknapp has told FFT that he too was offered the forward, during his time as West Ham United boss. 

Dia was recruited by Graeme Souness at Southampton in 1996 after a phone call from a man claiming to be George Weah, saying the player was his cousin and recommending him.

The 31-year-old made one appearance for the club, as a first-half substitute for the injured Matt Le Tissier at home to Leeds United, but didn’t prove an adequate replacement for the club legend, and was subbed himself in the second half.

“He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice, it was very embarrassing to watch,” Le Tissier later said.

Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, former West Ham manager Redknapp outlined that it wasn’t uncommon to receive phone calls with recommendations for players during his long managerial career.

“Agents would always be ringing you, but you had to have your own knowledge of players,” he said. “If they rang up, often you’d say, ‘No, I’m not interested in him’. You had to make your own judgement on who you fancied and who you didn’t.”